Lunchtime Links for February 8th, 2021

• My Baking Addiction: Cheeseburger sliders. 
• The Kitchn: Trader Joe's felted wool trivets.
• Joy the Baker: Chocolate peanut butter cake.
• Love and Lemons: Tortellini soup.
• Smitten Kitchen: Plush confetti cupcakes.

First Day of Fall - Pumpkin Spice Latte Throw

Happy first day of fall everyone!  While I've been enjoying seeing a lot of fall-themed items in stores for a few weeks now, I was still really happy to see this pumpkin spice latte-themed throw blanket at TJMaxx! 

I thought it was so cute with the little mugs and pumpkin pie designs on the super soft throw.  It's a little different from the Halloween and pumpkin designs that are out in stores - perfect for anyone that's obsessed with pumpkin drinks like I am!

Smoko - Dumpling and Toast

Ever since I started following Smoko on Instagram a while back, I've been obsessed with their cute and fun products!  I first got the little dumpling lamp, which gives off a gentle glow while being super cute and squishy.  I recently got two more items that I had ordered a while ago - a dumpling mug and toast mug!  The dumpling mug has the same dumpling character in various drawings, which remind me of the delicious soup dumplings at Din Tai Fung :o) The toast mug is slightly smaller and square, like a thick piece of toast (with a face on it, haha) If you're also a fan of food/cute themed items (or know someone that would love them as a gift), be sure to check out all of the fun items that Smoko offers! 

Memorial Day Weekend - Waterford, VA

I hope everyone had a great weekend!  My friends C, L and I went on a quick road trip to Waterford, VA to stay at this really pretty restored farmhouse for one night, which was very fun experience for us!  

There's clearly a lot of work that went into the house and the property , with so many little details that were neat to check out during our stay.  We even became good friends with the goats and chickens that live on the property - I don't think I'll ever get a chance to be so close to these animals in such a relaxed environment, haha.  This was a great chance to spend some time away from our homes enjoying something totally unique for all three of us! 

 

 

 

TJ Maxx - Cake Wall Art

Happy Wednesday everyone! I just had to share this funny quote wall art that I saw at TJ Maxx recently - anyone else that loves sweets will appreciate this too!

Christmas Mystery Grab Bag - Chalkfulloflove

I've been following Chalkfulloflove on Instagram for a while now, but it was her recent Mystery Grab Bag sale that prompted my first purchase from her online shop! And it is sort of funny that I happened to order the Christmas Mystery Grab Bag, and it arrived the night before a pretty significant snowstorm that started this morning.  It feels like Christmas all over again with these cute gifts!  I especially liked a lot of her mug designs when she posts them on Instagram, so I'm happy that this set came with a mug.  It's very sturdy and the lettering is too cute!  Be sure to follow her on Instagram or check out her page if you're also a fan of cute lettering-related gifts!

TJ Maxx - Valentine Mug

I always enjoy seeing holiday-specific items in stores, and right now there are so many cute Valentine's day-themed goodies at HomeGoods/Marshalls/TJMaxx!  I love all of the different kitchen items most of all, like this salt and pepper mug I saw on the shelf recently.  Those little faces on the shakers are too cute :o) If you're a fan of pink/red/heart decorations be sure to get over to these stores soon because Easter items are already starting to fill up the shelves!

HomeGoods - Oh Snap! Towel

I will never, ever get tired of seeing the gingerbread "Oh Snap" items when the Christmas stuff starts coming out in stores, haha!  I found these kitchen towels (in red above, and also in white) at HomeGoods recently, and I love this type of cute holiday humor.  Plus, it's an easy and super festive way to decorate for Christmas!

Anthropologie + Terrain - Bethesda, MD

The new Anthropologie and Terrain/Terrain Cafe opened recently in downtown Bethesda, MD - I was very excited to check it out since it was such a big space that it was taking over.  The whole store spans three spacious floors, including a BHLDN (bridal shop), Terrain (garden shop), and Terrain Cafe.  There's a lot to take in, and the way the store is designed is pretty amazing!  

There's a lot of "stuff", maybe even more so than actual clothes, haha.  That's not a problem for me, since I love looking at gift and home items.  It's a great chance to see a lot of their furniture pieces in person (third floor), which I've previously only seen in their catalogs and online.  As we get closer to the holidays I can't wait to see how they change up the store displays!  The Terrain Cafe has been crowded whenever I've passed by - I look forward to trying out brunch or dinner there soon as well!

Anthropologie & Co. Bethesda Row
4801 Bethesda Avenue
Bethesda, MD 20814

Bath and Body Works - Fall Finds

Happy Friday everyone!  I purchased these from Bath and Body Works a few weeks ago, but now that we're officially into Fall I wanted to share them.  Of course I love the pumpkin and apple themed items every year when they come out, but I was pleasantly surprised to see such a nice variety of items that they had out this year. 

I normally buy the foaming soap (like the Autumn Pumpkin on the upper right), but I'm glad I tried out the Nourishing hand soaps as well - they're both great! Especially the Marshmallow Pumpkin Latte that I'm currently using - it's a soft pumpkin scent with a strong vanilla/cream accent, which I love.  The pumpkin shaped candle for me is definitely less about the candle inside and more about the soft blush shade- even after I finish the candle I will definitely be keeping the container as decoration.  Finally, I used a free item coupon to try the foaming mousse hand sanitizer.  I like that the mousse doesn't dry your hands out, and it's the perfect size to keep in your purse or car.  I will definitely be back for more of the hand soaps soon!   

Target - $1 Mini Pumpkins

Happy first full week of Fall!  I saw these pumpkins a few days ago in the Target dollar section and they are so tiny and cute!  I love that they come in colors other than the regular orange pumpkins too, they'll go with just about any existing home decor. 

 

I bought one and later received a few more as a gift from friends, which turned out to be really good timing - the Target where I took the photos above didn't have any left just a day later!  Since it's still September I would think they will be restocked, but if anyone is interested definitely check back often.

I love switching over to Fall decorations around my home, and these mini pumpkins are a great addition to my existing pumpkin items!

Home Goods - Rae Dunn Ramen Bowl

I am (surprisingly) pretty good about only "window shopping" at HomeGoods, but I just couldn't resist getting this Rae Dunn "Ramen" bowl on my recent visit! I have two other "word" bowls from her, but of course I had to get this one in honor of one of my favorite foods.  I have a feeling that the "Ramen" and "Cereal" (bottom of the stack) are likely for college students, but it's still a cute and useful item for anyone that is a fan of these foods!

Lunchtime Links for August 20th, 2018

• Apartment Therapy: DIY doormat ideas.
• The Kitchn: Pasta ideas for lunch boxes. 
• Serious Eats: Buttery clams with burst tomatoes.
• Brown Eyed Baker: Chocolate cake.
• Table for Two: Grilled Asian marinated flat iron steak.

HomeGoods - Fall Candles

While I am fully aware that it's still August/summer, I can't help but feel excited for Fall when I see all of the fun seasonal items pop up in HomeGoods! These DW Home candles have a very cute seasonal design, and smell really good and true to the label, haha.  The Pumpkin Latte one especially had a very strong coffee note which I really liked, since coffee scented candles are one of my favorites.  These large candles were priced at $14.99, but I wound up getting the smaller version of the Pumpkin Latte candle for $9.99.  If you're starting to look for some cute Fall decor to bring out in a few weeks, be sure to stop in to HomeGoods because they're starting to roll out more and more items as we get closer to Fall! 

Lunchtime Links for August 1st, 2018

• Bake at 350: Vanilla bean cream cheese.
• Damn Delicious: Italian wedding soup. 
• Apartment Therapy: IKEA Gratulera collection.
• Crazy for Crust: Peanut butter cookies.
• The Kitchn: Easy Texas toast.

Home Goods Mugs

I had to laugh when I came across these mugs at HomeGoods recently - they are perfect for anyone that loves shopping there!  The mug color is definitely that "HomeGoods" color, and I love that they used the exact logo design too, haha.  At $2.99 each, these are the perfect way to show your love for HomeGoods shopping with your morning coffee!  

Trader Joe's - Mango Tangerine Candle

I love going to Trader Joe's often just to browse - there's usually at least a few new items to check out alongside picking up some staple items.  I recently came across this mango tangerine candle in the store, and now I'm feeling like I should've bought more than one!  It's the perfect light and summery scent for anyone that likes mangoes and tangerines.  I loved the grapefruit candle that they sold previously, and this one has the same strong fruit scent that doesn't smell fake like juice or candy.  If you also like mango/citrus scented candles be sure to pick one (or more!) up before they disappear!  

Lunchtime Links for March 27th, 2018

• Table for Two: Holy yum chicken.
• Crazy for Crust: Easy chocolate biscuit bombs.
• Apartment Therapy: Junk drawer organizer tips.
• Oh Sweet Basil: Garlic honey mustard ham.
• The Kitchn: Muffin tin pizza bombs.

2017 Christmas Tree (with Andy Cohen)

I'm not sure if there's any sort of "official" time to start decorating for Christmas, but since my tree is tiny and takes about 5 minutes to decorate I figured I might as well start now, haha.  When do you all put up your holiday decorations? 

As you might notice from the photos above, there's a general sweets/food theme to my Christmas tree, and over the years it has started to look like a big advertisement for various brands, haha.  Some of those include my favorites, like Shake Shack, Starbucks, and Dunkin Donuts. 

After decorating my tree last night, I realized that I had a Facebook memory from 2012 and realized that I was basically doing the same thing 5 years ago - hah!  I'm glad that Andy himself enjoyed this Christmas moment with me too :o)

11/27/2012 - Andy on Watch What Happens Live:

 11/27/2017 - Andy on the RHOC reunion part 2:

Shake Shack - Shackburger Plush

After buying my first place, you'd think that I would be more careful about spending money on "fun" things.  However when I saw this Shackburger x Yummy World collaboration plush burger, I hit Add to Cart faster than you can say Shake Shack, haha!

  

 

 

But seriously though, how could I, as a fan of both Shake Shack AND Yummy World plushes, resist buying this?? It's super soft and SO cute in person, and I love that it comes in a removable Shake Shack burger wrapper.  I'm totally justifying this purchase by considering it new home decor, and it adds the right amount of "burger" to my living room, haha.